That's Just How It Works
by IcePrincess1000
Summary: An orphan girl, Clare, has been kidnapped by Team Void. She is to be used in an experiment to create a human-Pokemon hybrid.
1. Chapter 1

**So, here's my first attempt at a fanfiction! Hope you guys like it :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, no matter how much I want to.**

"Something's wrong," said a woman with short, brown hair and dark eyes. She was wearing a white lab coat and typing furiously on a keyboard attached to a complicated-looking computer. She chewed her lip as more red lights flashed up on the screen.

"What do you mean?" asked a man with bright red, spiky hair and brown eyes just as an alarm sounded in the background.

"I don't think this one is going to make it," she explained.  
>"No! This one <em>has<em> to make it! Bode's not going to be happy if we fail _again_!" The panic was evident in his voice. He moved to a different computer, hoping that he might somehow be able to help.

"I know, Hoag! I'm doing the best I can to save it!" the woman snapped.

After a few minutes where the woman and the man named Hoag typed frantically, all the alarms and flashing lights stopped. Silence reigned for what seemed an eternity before Hoag dared to ask:  
>"Did it work?"<p>

"I-I don't know," the woman said hesitantly. She stood up and went into a different room. Hoag waited impatiently while the high-tech computers hummed contentedly around him. The woman soon returned. Hoag didn't need to ask again; the answer was written all over her distraught and disappointed face.

He sighed in defeat. "I guess we'll have to try again, Mayal."

"And this time it'll work."

Mayal and Hoag turned to the entrance to see a man with black, shoulder-length hair and strange, violet-coloured eyes.  
>"Bode! I-we tried to-" Mayal started to say, but Bode cut her off.<p>

"I know. I also know that the next one will be successful."

"How could you know that?" Hoag asked cautiously.

"Because I've figured out what we've been doing wrong," Bode said calmly. He walked over to the computer and started to type. "You see, if we do _this_ instead of what we've been trying, then we will finally succeed."

Mayal and Hoag looked over what Bode had typed, before agreeing that he was probably right.

"So who's next on the list, Hoag?" Mayal asked.

Hoag pulled out a small, hand-held device from his pocket and consulted it before replying.

"Orphan girl. Her parents were killed in a storm while travelling to the Kanto region via boat. Apparently the girl didn't really like the orphanage she wound up in, so she ran off. Which, of course, makes her harder to find, but it also means the authorities are less likely to notice she's missing. Our sources say she's living on the streets of Saffron City. Blonde hair, hazel eyes. About 12 years old. Her name's Clare."

χχχ

A girl with long, blonde hair and hazel eyes scrambled over the top of a fence, closely followed by a small Pokemon with thick, chestnut brown fur, a cream-coloured collar and matching tip on its otherwise brown, bushy tail. Clare crouched behind the fence, breathing heavily. The Pokemon sat beside her, its rabbit-like ears paying close attention to the slightest sounds while its brown eyes gleamed with excitement.

"Do you think we lost him, Aethra?" Clare asked the Pokemon.

"Eevee, ee!" it replied in a high-pitched voice.

Clare rose to her knees and peered through a crack in the fence. A large man was rushing past the entrance to the alleyway, looking extremely harried.

"Blasted child. Why does she always steal from me?" the man muttered furiously, before disappearing from sight.

Clare grinned at her Eevee in triumph. "C'mon," she said, "Let's go meet Awlie."

"Eevee!" it said happily. Aethra jumped up and bounced down the alleyway.

They travelled in silence, keeping an eye out in case the man from earlier was nearby. Eventually they arrived at an old, run-down warehouse. Clare and the evolution Pokemon checked to make sure no-one was watching before they pushed open the creaking door and slipped inside.

The sunlight struggled to filter through the dust-covered windows, making it rather dark inside the building; the holes in the roof didn't help to add much light. Clare allowed a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light. The only thing in the warehouse was a pile of sheets in the corner that was the least likely to be rained on. These sheets served as a bed.

Clare and her Eevee carefully navigated their way across the rotting floor. Some sections of the wood had completely given way to reveal the dank basement below. They sat down on the sheets and Clare proceeded to take the three stolen apples out of her pockets. She handed one to Aethra and started to eat a second.

A small, blue, dog-like Pokemon leapt nimbly down from a hole in the roof and landed next to Clare. Its legs and torso were coloured black, and it had a yellow collar around its neck. The Pokemon handed Clare the loaf of bread that it was carrying in its forepaws.  
>"Thanks, Awlie!" Clare beamed at the little Riolu and handed it an apple. Awlie's red eyes lit up at the prospect of having more food than what it was used to, and quickly started to eat the apple.<p>

Clare tore the loaf into three relatively even pieces and gave one to each of her Pokemon. They ate in silence, enjoying each other's company despite the less-than-comfortable living conditions they shared.

σσσ

"There's Saffron City," Hoag said as they drove to the top a hill and looked out at the large city below them.

"Very observant," Mayal said drily.

Hoag glanced at her in annoyance, but decided not to say anything about it. "C'mon. Let's just find the girl quickly. I'm sure Bode is eager to see if his theory will work."

"It'll work. It has to work. I'm tired of collecting the child rejects of the world for this experiment."

"For once, we agree," Hoag said with a hint of sarcasm. Mayal simply ignored him and proceeded to drive down the hill to the city.

φφφ

Clare walked down the street, enjoying the sunlight of the warm day. As usual, she wished that there was more to eat, but on the whole today was turning out to be quite a good day. She stopped outside the Saffron City Contest Hall and looked longingly at the entrance.

"It would be cool to be a Pokemon Trainer or Coordinator, don't you think?" she asked her two ever-faithful Pokemon.

"Eeeevee!" Aethra said in agreement, while Awlie merely nodded its head, a slight smile on its face.

"Nothing's stopping you from entering," said a voice from behind Clare.

She turned around to see three people standing behind her. The boy who spoke had black, spiky hair underneath a red and black baseball cap. He looked about 14 and had a Pikachu riding on his shoulder.

"You would probably need something nice to wear, though," said a girl with red hair tied up at the side of her head. She looked to be about 15 years old.

Clare glanced down at her clothes and blushed. She certainly did need new clothes; hers were extremely dirty and ragged, but she didn't have any money to buy more and it was a lot harder to steal clothes from a shop than it was to steal fruit from a fruit stand.

"So I guess we'll just have to help you choose something," said a man who looked to be about 20 years old and had spiky, brown hair, tanned skin and squinty eyes.

"Um, thanks for the offer, but I don't have any money to pay for the clothes," Clare said, her embarrassment increasing.

"In that case, we'll pay for them, too!" said the red-headed girl. The girl grabbed Clare's hand and started dragging her in the direction of the nearest shops.

"I-I really appreciate all this, but I can't acce-" Clare stammered, her cheeks now bright red.

"Stop being so stubborn!" said the boy with the Pikachu, "We're going to help you win this Contest! Just you wait and see. By the way, I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town, and this is Pikachu."

"Pika!"

"I'm Brock."

"And I'm Misty," said the girl dragging Clare down the street.

"Uh, it's nice to meet you all," Clare said, not entirely sure how she'd ended up in this strange situation, "my name's Clare. This is my Eevee, Aethra and my Riolu, Awlie," she gestured to her Pokemon who were tagging along behind, just as surprised as Clare was.

"Hey, cool! You have a Riolu. They're really rare," Ash said excitedly.

"Have you been feeding them the proper food they need?" Brock asked, a hint of suspicion in his voice.  
>"Well, um, I..." Clare hated the fact that she could never give her friends the proper food they needed.<p>

"Brock, give the girl a break! She can't even afford decent clothes! I'm sure she does the best she can for her Pokemon," Misty snapped.

"Humph," Brock said, but he let the topic go.

ξξξ

Several hours later, Clare was eating her way through the most food she'd seen in a very long time. Brock had whipped up some Pokemon food for all of the Pokemon, including Aethra and Awlie. Her two Pokemon were really enjoying the specially made food. No less than seven shopping bags sat on the ground beside the table; Misty had refused to stop at just one outfit.

"So, the competition starts tomorrow. I guess that means you'll sign up today, and we'll start showing you some moves," Ash said. He seemed to really enjoy the thought of teaching someone else a few things about training Pokemon.

"I don't know..." Clare said. She'd always dreamed of entering Contests, but she'd never thought that it would happen. Especially not so quickly as it was happening today. "I doubt that I'd be any good."  
>"Stop being so negative!" said Misty, "If you just listen to our advice, I'm sure you'll do a great job!"<p>

Clare pushed away her food, completely full, and stretched. Her new T-shirt and shorts felt strange after wearing rags for so long. It was even stranger wearing socks and shoes. She still found it hard to believe that three complete strangers would be so nice and willing to spend so much money on her. All so she could make an attempt at a dream she'd thought impossible.

ΦΦΦ

"There she is," Hoag said, relief flooding his voice. He was standing on top of a building, peering through a set of binoculars.

"Really? About time! Where is she?" Mayal turned her own binoculars in the direction that Hoag was looking.

"Right there. See the blonde girl sitting with three other people?"

Mayal peered intently through her binoculars for a few seconds before spotting the girl. "I see her. She's quite pretty. Such a shame." It didn't sound like Mayal cared in the slightest. "Let's just get her quickly. I'm tired of this whole job. I don't know why Bode is so obsessed with this little experiment."

"Alright," Hoag said, putting his binoculars away and pulling out a Pokeball, "Time to finish this job." He quickly climbed down from the rooftop, Mayal close behind.

ΩΩΩ

"Have you always lived in Saffron City?" Misty asked. They'd finished eating lunch and all the Pokemon had been returned to their Pokeballs except Pikachu, Aethra and Awlie.

"Um, no. I came here about 4 or 5 years ago from the Sinnoh region. I had Awlie with me, and I met Aethra about 2 years ago," Clare replied.

"What about your parents?" Ash asked.

Clare hesitated, feeling tears prick her eyes. "Th-there was a storm. I made it, but my parents..." Clare felt a hard lump in her throat, and had to struggle to keep the tears back.

"Oh. I'm sorry," Ash mumbled, regretting bringing up the subject.

"It's okay," Clare said in what she hoped was a reassuring voice and forced a smile.

"I'm afraid that I'm sorry, too," said a sarcastic voice.

They all turned around to see a man and a woman standing there. The woman had brown hair and dark eyes, while the man had bright red, spiky hair and brown eyes. They were both wearing black clothing with a silver, spiky 'V' on their shirts. Their gloves were black with a silver ring around the edge, and their knee-high boots were black with a silver stripe down each side.

"Who are you guys?" Ash asked, instantly getting to his feet. Pikachu ran in front of Ash, clearly ready to fight. Both had the feeling that these two weren't here for a friendly chat.

"We are Team Void, and we have no interest in you, little boy," the woman said, "We just want the girl."

"Houndoom, time to fight," the man threw his Pokeball into the air.

"Take them down, Absol."

A large, black, dog-like Pokemon appeared, and soon after a dark blue Pokemon covered in white fur, with a ruff around its neck and chest joined it.

"It would be best if you got out of our way," the man said. "It'll be rather annoying having to get rid of all three of you when we just want Blondie over there."

"Like that's gonna happen!" Misty shouted, quickly selecting which Pokemon she was going to use.

"Yeah! What makes you think we're just going to stand aside?" said Brock as he pulled out his own Pokeball.

"Pika!" Pikachu said fiercely.

"Politoed, come on out!"

"Donphan, I choose you!"  
>"Steelix, we'll be needing your help, too!"<p>

Three more Pokemon appeared: a green, frog-like creature with yellow hands, belly, throat, and toes , a light-grey, elephant-like Pokemon and a huge, iron snake that was made up of rock-like sections.

The man sighed, sounding quite bored. "Foolish, stubborn children," he muttered under his breath. He then said in a clearer voice: "Houndoom, use Flamethrower."

"Sucker Punch, Absol!"

Both Pokemon instantly leapt into action; a stream of fire was aimed at Brock's Steelix, while the Absol aimed for Donphan and Politoed.

"Donphan, dodge, then use Rollout!" Ash shouted.

"Dodge it, too, and use Water Gun, Politoed!"

"Use DragonBreath, Steelix!"

Donphan and Politoed both managed to avoid the Absol's attack; Politoed also directly hit it with the Water Gun, but Donphan narrowly missed and knocked over a table. Steelix wasn't so lucky; its DragonBreath completely missed, and it got the full brunt of the Houndoom's attack. The Absol was knocked down from the force of the Water Gun, and Steelix was forced backwards.

"Quickly finish of that weak Pokemon with your Inferno, Houndoom," the man said, still sounding as if the whole battle was boring.

"Get up, Absol, and use Night Slash!" the woman snapped impatiently.

The Absol quickly got up and slashed at Misty's Politoed, knocking the Pokemon to the ground. Flames engulfed Steelix as the Houndoom used Inferno on it.

"Politoed!" Misty cried, rushing forward to see if it was okay.

"No, Steelix!" Brock pulled his Pokeball back out and withdrew Steelix from the battle.

"Donphan, use Giga Impact!" Ash said, fury gleaming in his eyes as Misty returned Politoed to its Pokeball.

"Ice Beam, Absol!"

"Houndoom, you use Shadow Ball!"

Donphan charged towards the two Pokemon, rapidly gaining power; a white-blue beam shot from the Absol's mouth while the Houndoom launched a dark purple sphere at Donphan. The two attacks hit Donphan at the same time, throwing the Pokemon back.

"Donphan!" Ash rushed to his Donphan's side, hoping that it wasn't hurt too badly.

"Pika, pika!" Pikachu was just as worried as Ash was.

"Right, now that you three nuisances are out of the way, we'll just be taking the girl," the woman said, walking towards Clare. Clare took a nervous step backwards as Aethra and Awlie moved forwards to protect her.

The same dark purple sphere that the Houndoom used appeared in Aethra's mouth, and a shimmering purple coated Awlie's front paw and forearm. The Shadow Ball hit the Absol, and Awlie struck the Houndoom in its shoulder.

"Uggh! This is getting annoying! Absol, Quick Attack!" said the woman, clearly frustrated.

"Houndoom, you use Flamethrower. Get rid of those pesky Pokemon."

The attacks hit Aethra and Awlie hard, and they flew back, right into Clare. The three of them hit the ground; Clare managing to protect her Pokemon from further harm by cushioning their fall with her own body.

"Pikachu, use Thunder!"

Bright yellow lightning sparked from Pikachu in large arcs.

"Double Team, Absol!"

"Get the girl, Houndoom!"

Instantly there was about thirty Absols instead of one, and the Houndoom launched towards Clare.

Aethra and Awlie tried to get up, but they weren't used to battling, and both were injured from the earlier attacks. Clare stood up and tried to run, but the Houndoom was fast. It easily caught her and dragged her back to the Team Void members. The Thunder attack struck the pseudo-Absols, but the real Absol avoided the electricity and made its way back to its trainer.

"It's been great battling with you, children. We'd love to stay and chat, but we have more important things to do," the woman said, returning Absol to its Pokeball as soon as it reached her side.

The man took Clare from the Houndoom and slung her over his shoulder. Clare kicked, desperately trying to escape from the man's clutches. He then returned Houndoom to its Pokeball and pulled out some sort of gadget.

"Don't bother trying to find us. You won't succeed," the man said and he pressed a trigger on the gadget. A thick cable launched from it and attached itself to the nearest rooftop. The woman grabbed a hold of the gadget, and they both easily flew to the rooftop, Clare still fighting to escape. A few seconds later they were gone from sight.

"Oh no," Misty moaned, "We have to go and save her!"

"Right," said Ash, looking determined, "Staraptor, I choose you!" A large bird-like Pokemon with brownish-grey plumage appeared. It had a downwards-facing, red-tipped crest on its head.

"Staraptor, see if you can find Clare. She'll be with a man and a woman," Ash said. Staraptor instantly took off in search of the girl.

Hoag opened the back door of the car and shoved Clare inside. He then pulled out some rope and tied her hands and feet together. It wasn't easy, though; Clare kept trying to hit him and scramble out the other door. He got in the back seat once he'd tied Clare up, and Mayal got in the driver's seat and turned on the ignition.

"Make sure she doesn't escape, Hoag," Mayal said as she pulled out of the park and drove to the towards the city exit.

"I know what I'm doing, Mayal," he snapped.

"Let me go, you freaks!" Clare shouted, finally finding her voice.

"Shut up," Hoag growled, and he backhanded her across the face.

Clare shrank into the seat, shocked. Hoag pulled out a length of material and gagged Clare, making it impossible for her to talk anymore.

"Try not to hurt her too much. I doubt Bode would want this one too damaged," Mayal said tiredly.

Hoag huffed and crossed his arms, looking rather childish. "Whatever, Mayal."

Staraptor returned to Ash a few hours later with no news of Clare's whereabouts.

"You couldn't see where they went at all?" Ash asked desperately. Staraptor shock its head, clearly disappointed in itself.

Ash sighed. "Alright, Staraptor. You did the best you could." He pulled out a Pokeball and returned Staraptor.

"What do we do now?" Misty asked.

"We go to Officer Jenny, of course, and report a kidnapping," Brock answered.

"Alright. Let's hope Officer Jenny has better luck than we did. I wonder what they wanted with Clare?" Ash asked of no one in particular.

۹۹۹

They drove for several hours; the sun had almost set by the time they'd reached their destination. They pulled into a cave and Mayal got out. Hoag was watching Mayal, so Clare made another attempt at escaping. She managed to quietly open the car door, but no further.

"Oh, no you don't," Hoag growled, and he dragged her back and closed the door again.

Mayal got back into the car as the cave wall disappeared, revealing a car park filled with vehicles of every sort. Everything from huge trucks to flashy convertibles were all there. Mayal drove inside and Clare looked behind her to see the cave wall re-materialise. Mayal found a spare parking space and turned off the engine. They all got out; Hoag dragging Clare out of the car and then slinging her over his shoulder again. They walked towards an elevator at the far end of the car park and got in. Mayal pressed the lowest button, and the elevator started its descent as soon as the doors closed.

When the elevator stopped and they got out, Clare tried her best to look around. All she could see was a lot of complicated-looking computers.

"Where's Bode?" Mayal asked, frustrated.

"I don't know. But we can easily do this ourselves. He didn't change it too much."

_What are they going to do? _Clare thought, panic rising more rapidly.

Clare felt herself being swung off the man's shoulder, and she started struggling anew. She hit a hard, metal bench and Hoag proceeded to untie her and then strap her to the metal bench.

Clare whimpered in fear. She could see a computer screen that had pictures of four different Pokemon: a cat-like Pokemon with oversized ears and a tufted tail, a dragon-like Pokemon that stood on all fours, a sort of horse with a long, fish-like tail and a bird-like Pokemon with a long, fancy tail. All of the Pokemon were coal black with coloured markings. The cat-like Pokemon had brown markings, the dragon-like Pokemon had bright red markings, the horse-fish Pokemon had deep blue markings and the bird-like Pokemon had silvery-white markings.

Mayal entered Clare's vision holding a long needle. Clare made a futile attempt at escape again.

"It'll only hurt more if you keep struggling, you foolish girl," Mayal snapped impatiently as she injected the needle.

The effect was instantaneous; Clare felt her eyes close against her will as darkness overtook her.

**And there's chapter one ^_^ Tell me what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I'm really quite disappointed. Quite a few people have read my story, but only 2 have reviewed. And they happen to my awesomely awesome best friends. Please review!  
>I'm posting chapter 2 in the hopes that some of you will start reviewing.<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, no matter how much I want to.**

"I wonder where Clare is," Ash mused quietly for the umpteenth time. Ever since the girl had been kidnapped by Team Void, Ash, Brock and Misty had been searching the areas within a few days travel of Saffron City for any sign of her. They hadn't been able to find a single clue of Clare's whereabouts for several months, though.

No one answered Ash because they all knew there was no point. None of them had the slightest idea where she was or why Team Void had taken her.

"Are you _sure_ that it was the right time to take this one out, Mayal?" A man's voice said worriedly.

"Of course I'm sure, Hoag! I _know _what I'm doing, alright! This one has successfully adapted," a woman's voice snapped, fed up with being asked the same question so many times.

"But it hasn't moved-"

"It's _breathing_! That means it's alive!"

_Successfully adapted? What are they talking about?_ Clare slowly returned to awareness. Her limbs felt like they were made of lead, and her brain was moving slowly so she wasn't able to make sense of what the two kidnappers were saying.

"I _know_, Mayal! But just because it's _alive_ doesn't mean this experiment has finally been successful! It actually has to be able to _move_ and _think_ in order for it to be successful!"

_What experiment?_ Some of Clare's other senses were returning. She could feel the cold, hard bench beneath her and the straps around her arms and legs. There was something large and firm between her back and the bench. _How long have I been out?_

"It just needs some time to come to awareness!" There was a slight hint of panic in the woman's voice now.

"We've been waiting _hours_, Mayal! Do you really think it's going to 'come to awareness'?"

_What is this thing they're so worried about?_ Clare groaned quietly. Her throat was parched and she'd never been so hungry in her life. Which was saying something.

The man's question was greeted with silence, but it wasn't the silence of someone trying to think of an appropriate answer. It seemed more like a shocked silence.

"You heard it make a noise, right?" the man asked uncertainly.

_Noise? The only noise was me groaning..._

"Yeah...Yeah, I did."

Clare heard footsteps and someone grabbed her shoulder.

"Hey, wake up. You have to wake up," said the woman's voice close by, giving Clare a shake.

Clare groaned again and slowly opened her eyes. She had to blink a few times to clear her slightly blurred sight. A woman with short, brown hair and dark eyes was peering at her intently. A look of relief flooded her face when she saw that Clare was awake.

Clare cautiously tested the strength of the straps binding her to the bench and was surprised to find that they weren't quite as restricting as they had been before.

"You see, Hoag? I _told _you this one was going to be successful!" Mayal said triumphantly, before turning her attention back to Clare. "How're you feeling? Is the any grogginess? Any pain?"

This turn of events was so surprising that Clare didn't say anything. The woman who'd kidnapped her actually sounded _concerned_.

"Maybe its speech has been impaired," Hoag said after a few minutes of silence, concern colouring his voice.

"I am _female_!" Clare snapped.

"I guess not," Mayal smirked, "Now, tell me, are you in any sort of pain?"

Clare didn't reply. It was a petty matter, really, but it did give Clare a sense of satisfaction to watch the woman's face cloud with annoyance.

"Hoag, you'd better call Bode. Let him know we've finally succeeded; even if it does refuse to talk," Mayal snapped, irritation evident in her voice.

Clare watched Hoag walk out of the room before she made another escape attempt. She wasn't going to wait around for this 'Bode' to arrive. Clare pulled with all her strength against the straps and, miraculously, they broke. She hesitated a moment, surprised that it had actually worked, before she leapt off the bench and located the elevator.

"Hoag!" Mayal shouted, making a grab for Clare. Clare managed to avoid her reaching hands, but she seemed heavier than before and she overbalanced. She threw out a hand and landed on a computer. She then noticed for the first time that there was something different about her body. Clare slowly stood back up and examined herself with a growing sense of horror. Her entire body was covered in soft, black feathers broken up by a silvery-white pattern. Her hands were scaly and on the ends of each of her fingers was a sharp claw instead of a finger nail. Looking down Clare noticed an elegant tail made up of multiple long feathers.

Mayal launched towards Clare, but Clare stumbled backwards.

"What did you do?" Clare whispered. She felt something on her back flex and she craned her neck, trying to see what else had changed. Enormous wings sprouted from her shoulder blades; they were coloured the same way as the rest of her body.

"Come back here, please," Mayal begged.

"Why?"

"You don't know how to control your power. Come here, now!" It was clear she was getting desperate.

"I've called Bode. He's on his-" Hoag stopped dead, taking in the situation.

"Don't just stand there, you fool! Stop it from escaping! Bode would kill us if we let the only successful one escape!" Mayal shouted.

Clare's feeling of horror finally broke and she remembered that she should be escaping, no matter what they'd done to her. The fact that she was some sort of experiment was probably reinforcing the fact that she should get out of this place as fast as possible. She turned and ran to the elevator, but she was a lot faster than before, even if she did have a pair of wings protruding from her back. Clare almost crashed into the elevator doors and she instantly started to press the button frantically. Behind her she could sense Mayal and Hoag running towards her.

The doors opened and Clare made to get inside. However, there was already someone else inside. Clare stopped so abruptly she fell to the ground. She scrambled backwards, unsure of where to go.

The man had black, shoulder-length hair and violet eyes that glinted with dark humour.

"Trying to escape, are we?" he asked, the same dark humour in his voice.

Clare stood up and glanced behind her. Hoag and Mayal stood there, worry all of their faces.

"Why don't you make yourself comfortable?" the man suggested, still sounded amused.

Clare mutely shook her head and her eyes flitted around the room, trying to find an exit. There was only three possible exits: the elevator the man blocked, the door Hoag had gone into to call Bode, another door that was closer to Clare than the one Hoag had used, and a closed door that Mayal was hovering in front of that read 'Use in Case of Fire'.

Clare ran to the closer door, still faster than what she was used to, and found herself in the middle of a room filled with enormous, glass tubes. They went from the floor to the ceiling and they were about a meter wide. A metal platform was at the bottom of each tube. A strange, bubbling, amber liquid filled all of the tubes. Clare spotted a platform where a tube could be, but the glass was missing.

She looked around frantically, but couldn't spot any doors leading out of this room except the one she had just come through. There wasn't even any windows.

She heard footsteps and turned to find Hoag, Mayal and the black haired man standing in the doorway.

"Why don't you just give up? We really would rather avoid hurting you," the man said. While he sounded sincere, Clare had no doubt that this was a man not to be trusted.

"Why have you done this?" Clare asked, her voice bleak.

"To create something far more powerful than any Pokemon alive," the man answered.

"You...turned me into a Pokemon?" Clare said disbelievingly.

The man chuckled; the sound the raised hairs – or was it feathers? – on the back of Clare's neck.

"No. You're something _more_. A human-Pokemon hybrid, if you will."

Clare felt her anger rising. "Why did you choose _me_?" she asked, fury making her voice tremble.

The man shrugged. "Nothing against you personally. People were simply less likely to notice that an orphan street-girl had gone missing."

Clare huffed. "Well, you screwed up there."

Surprise flitted across the man's face. Clare felt a small amount of satisfaction at having gotten rid of that superior look on his face, even if it was for a second.

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"They kidnapped me in full view of several people. No doubt they've gone to the police by now." Clare gestured to Mayal and Hoag, who cringed when the man turned to them, a look of fury on his face.

"You were _supposed_ to make sure no one noticed her disappearance for a few weeks at the very _least!_" he shouted, causing Mayal and Hoag to flinch.

"Well, we thought-"

"It was just-"

"You two wanted to just get it over and done with quickly with no thought of _keeping this a secret_! We've managed to remain incognito for _years_ and you two screw it all up just because you were too _lazy _to do the job properly!"

Mayal and Hoag tried several times to say something, but nothing came out.

The man turned back to Clare, a hint of the fury still lingering on his features. "No matter," he said, sounding as if it was the complete opposite, "We'll just have to make sure you don't escape. They couldn't possibly find us here." The man pulled out a Pokeball and took a few steps towards Clare. "Now, are you going to just give up, or will we have to hurt you?"

Clare looked around one last time for an exit that wasn't there before she shook her head resolutely. There was no way she was going to willingly stay with these people.

The man sighed, almost sounding disappointed, before he threw his Pokeball in the air. "Go, Honchkrow!"

A dark blue, large bird-like Pokemon appeared. It had white chest feathers and a red tip on its tail feathers. Its crest was shaped like a fedora hat.

"Use Wing Attack," the man commanded. The Honchkrow spread its wings and flew towards Clare. Clare tried to get out of the way, but she wasn't fast enough. The Honchkrow's wings knocked her to the ground.

Clare got back to her feet as the Honchkrow turned to attack her again. Almost of their own volition , Clare's wings extended and created a powerful winds that slammed the Honchkrow into one of the glass tubes. Mayal, Hoag and the man covered their faces with their arms and were blown back into the connecting room.

Clare stood in shock for a moment before rushing into the room after them, making a futile attempt to control her speed. She skidded to a stop just before she crashed into the wall and quickly went for the elevator. The elevator doors opened mere seconds after she pressed the button, and she slipped inside, the doors closing after her.

She looked at the buttons and hesitated. There was about ten buttons to choose from, and she had no idea which floor they'd come in from. She noticed that some of the buttons had labels on them such as 'Experiment Lab' (which she assumed was the one she was on now), 'Genetics Lab', and one that sent a surge of excitement through her: 'Car park'. Clare pressed that button and waited impatiently for the elevator to arrive at its destination.

The lights flickered off and the elevator shuddered to a halt. The small amount of hope that had slowly grown inside her died. Clare forced her fingers between the small gap in the doors and tried to force it open. She got it a few centimetres open when she noticed that the elevator had stopped between floors, meaning that there was no way she could get out that way.

She released the doors and looked around the elevator, hoping that there was another way out. Clare spotted a small hatch in the roof and stretched her hand towards it. She was only a few centimetres off, so she jumped so she could reach it.

After opening the hatch Clare hoisted herself up through the small hole and found herself in a type of vertical hall with thick cables running from the elevator up towards what she assumed to be the roof.

She took a calming breath before wrapping her fingers within the cables and starting to climb. It was a lot easier than she'd thought it would be; evidently, she still had to get used to her new-found strength. The nearest doorway was only a few metres above where Clare was, so it didn't take long to reach them. She placed her feet on the small ledge at the base of the doors and cautiously forced them open.

She could see many people wearing either lab coats or the black outfits with the 'V' symbol trying to figure out what was going on. Clare released the elevator doors and continued upwards.

She stopped at each doorway on the way up to check what was on the other side. Some floors were empty, others were filled with what she assumed to be more members of Team Void. There were floors with computers and floors with Pokemon imprisoned in cages. Quite a few rooms had pictures of the four Pokemon Clare had seen before she'd been drugged. Finally, she reached the floor she'd been looking for.

Not much had changed from the last time she'd been in the car park. Cars and trucks filled many of the parking spaces. Clare remembered that there was a secret entrance into this car park; all she had to do was find that same entrance and get out. Looking around she realised finding the entrance would be the easy part; all the walls, except the entrance, were covered in steel.

She approached the rocky wall and put her hand against it. It was completely solid and didn't shift at all when she put force against it. Next to the rocky section there was a small box with a green button on it. Clare pressed it and waited for the wall to dissolve. The minutes trickled by and the wall remained as solid as ever. With a surge of fear Clare realised that the wall must run on electricity. With the power out there was no way Clare was going to be able to leave.

She proceeded to search the entire car park for any other way out. The steel wall to the left of the cave wall had a small grate near the roof. A number of trucks were parked nearby, so Clare climbed on top of the one nearest to the grate and reached up. She managed to just reach it, so she pulled open the grate and dragged herself up into the small space. She was forced to crawl forwards on her belly because of the lack of room. Once she was completely inside the narrow tunnel she closed the grate behind her with her foot.

She slid herself forwards in the semi-darkness, hoping that she wouldn't have to stay in for very long. She came to a T-junction and noticed dim light at the end of the one that led right. After navigating herself around the corner she eagerly slid forwards, looking forward to being away from Team Void and their experiments.

Clare reached the end and stuck her head out, sucking in the fresh air. She twisted herself around so she was on her back and reached her hands up, grabbing a hold of a firm ledge in the rock above her. She then dragged the rest of her body out and hung by her fingertips for a moment before dropping to the ground. She landed easily and looked around.

She was in the cave that lead to the hideout within the mountain. Clare walked out of the cave and noticed that a lot of the trees had gold or brown leaves. When she'd been kidnapped everything had been green and covered with the flowers of Spring. She sighed at the loss of several months, or possibly even years for all she knew. _I wonder how Awlie and Aethra are doing? I hope they're with Ash and the others_.

To the left was the dirt road that led back to Saffron City, to the right was a path up the mountain. Ahead was nothing more than wide meadows dotted with trees. After a moment's consideration, Clare went out into the meadows. She didn't particularly want to brave the mountain when she didn't know how far away Winter was, and she figured that Team Void would expect her to take the road back to Saffron City. She figured that if she moved fast enough she would soon be too far away to see, so she used her new-found speed and strength to quickly cover the distance before the turned the power back on and started searching for her.

**End of chapter 2! Please, please, please, please, please review! I really want to know what you all think, even if you do think it's terrible! Pretty please?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Yes, yes, I know. It's been a really long time since I last posted. An excessively, ridiculously long time. That's because I had terrible writer's block. And life. The usual stuff that prevents people from writing. So, here's my next chapter after eons of nothing! Hopefully people read it. :)**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, no matter how much I want to.  
><strong>

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><p>"Uh, Bode, we, uh, can't seem to find the kid anywhere." Hoag said hesitantly, a slight sheen of sweat on his face.<br>"What! You incompetent fools! If she's not here, then she obviously managed to escape! Now get out there and find her! Do you want to blow our cover even more!" Bode shouted. His eyes glinting with formidable fury.

"Y-yes, sir!" Mayal and Hoag said in unison, before practically running out of the room.

Bode sighed in frustration and sat down on his chair behind the desk. "Idiots," he muttered, rubbing his temple.

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The sun was setting rapidly, covering everything with long, dark shadows. Clare entered the cool shade of a large forest. Once she could no longer see the meadow, she paused to listen to the sounds around her. Eventually she noticed the faint sound of running water and headed in the direction it was coming from. The slow moving river was clean and clear with a reddish tinge from the sun and Clare drank from it thirstily.

After Clare had had her fill, she looked around for something to eat. She spotted a bush with large, pink coloured berries growing on it across the river. She waded across and clambered up the opposite bank. Clare then picked one of the berries and cautiously nibbled on it. The berry was sweet, and she eagerly ate more. She was surprised to discover that the berry was hollow.

Just as Clare was eating her way through a fourth berry she heard voices approaching the river. After a moment of hesitation, Clare darted into the trees and crouched behind a nondescript bush. She could still see the surrounded area through the leaves of the bush.

Not long after Clare had hidden herself, a woman with long, red hair walked out of the trees on the bank Clare had only recently been drinking water from. The woman wore a white skirt and top with a red letter 'R' printed on the front of the top. She also had long, grey boots and gloves.

"I don't know why the Boss pulled us out of the Sinnoh region. We were doing just fine," the woman said.

A man with lavender hair appeared at the woman's side. He was dressed in a similar fashion, only he wore pants, had longer sleeves and shorter gloves and boots.

"Neither do I, Jessie, but I heard that he's pulled all of the teams out of all the regions; not just us," he told the woman, who must be Jessie.

"It'd be nice if he actually told us his plans once in a while," said a white, cat-like Pokemon with a gold charm on its head. Clare recognised the Pokemon as a Meowth, but she'd never heard of one that walked on two legs. She was going to assume her ability to understand what it said was a by product of her being a human-Pokemon hybrid until Jessie responded to the Meowth.

"For once we agree, Meowth."

The trio sighed simultaneously before sitting down beside the river.

"You know, the scenery would be so much easier to appreciate on a full stomach," said the man wistfully.

"Yeah," Jessie said mournfully.

"Hey! Look at that!" The talking Meowth jumped up excitedly and pointed across the river. Clare had a moment of panic, thinking she'd been spotted, but relaxed when she realised the Meowth was pointing at the bush with the berries on it.

The other two jumped up, looking like Christmas had come early, and all three splashed noisily across the river and proceeded to devour all the berries at an alarming rate.

Once they'd finished, they all sighed again, but this time with contentment, and sat back down.

Clare began to feel worried because her legs were starting to hurt from staying in the one position so long, and the trio weren't showing any signs of leaving in the near future. Slowly, Clare began to move into a sitting position, rather than remaining crouched. Unfortunately, her legs had gone to sleep and she somehow wound up rolling head-first into the bush she was hiding behind.

"What was that?" said the man, instantly jumping to his feet and pulling a Pokeball from his belt.

The other two quickly got up too and Jessie also pulled out a Pokeball.

Clare scrambled backwards out of the bush and fled into the forest.

"Stop right there! Go, Seviper!" shouted Jessie. A large, black snake with yellow and purple patterns appeared in front of Clare. Clare skidded to a halt as the Seviper swished its red-bladed tail threateningly.

"Go, Carnivine!" the man also released his own Pokemon. Clare prepared for whatever Pokemon was coming to block her way back to the river, only to see a large, plant-like Pokemon chewing on the man's head.

"No, Carnivine! How many times do we have to go through this?" the man shouted desperately.

The Carnivine released the man's head and landed where Clare had originally thought it would land, it's red and green vines flexing slightly upon impact.

"Huh? What sort of Pokemon is that?" Jessie wondered as she realised she'd never seen anything like Clare before.

"I don't know, but I bet it's rare!" the man said excitedly.

"Just imagine how grateful the Boss would be if he handed him a never-before-seen Pokemon!" the Meowth piped in, just as excited.

"Well, let's not let it get away, then! Seviper, use Poison Tail!"

"Go, Carnivine, you use Vine Whip!"

Clare staggered backwards, narrowly avoiding the Poison Tail, but she got trapped in the Carnivine's Vine Whip.

"Don't let it go, Carnivine!" the man shouted as Jessie pulled out another red and white Pokeball and prepared to throw it at Clare.

Clare felt her panic rise and she acted instinctively. She felt a strange power surge through her and she sent it at her foes. A vortex of air slammed into all five of them, and they were propelled high into the air. They all faded until something like a star flashed briefly in the sky. Clare could've sworn she'd heard them screaming "We're blasting off again!"

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"Ugh! Where could have she gotten to? Surely she couldn't disappear that fast!" Mayal said in frustration.

"Maybe she didn't head back to Saffron City," Hoag suggested tiredly.

Mayal glared hatefully at Hoag. "Would you _stop_ suggesting that! Why would she go any _but_ Saffron City?"  
>"Possibly because she'd assume that's what we would assume. Just like I said 2 hours ago. And every other time you asked me the exact same question. How about we go with that theory and consider what other direction she could have gone in?"<p>

Mayal pursed her lips and carefully thought about her options. On the one hand, they'd been searching since Bode had ordered them to, and it was now getting dark. They'd searched in every possible and less-than-possible location the girl could be, asking anyone they came into contact with if they'd seen a Pokemon like her. It was becoming increasingly unlikely that she was in Saffron City, and increasingly more likely that Bode would kill them if they returned without her. On the other hand, looking somewhere else would mean admitting Hoag was right.

Finally Mayal sighed, conceding that Bode's fury was far worse than admitting Hoag was right. "Fine. Would she go into the mountains?"  
>"I don't think so. Winter's on its way, she probably wouldn't risk it."<p>

"But she can handle the cold!" Mayal protested.

"Yes, but she doesn't know that, does she?" he said reasonably.

Mayal gave him another death-stare and considered where else the annoying girl could have gone. "Across that meadow, towards the forest?" she finally suggested.

Hoag smiled triumphantly. "I knew you would think of it eventually."

Mayal dearly wanted to punch him.

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"Guys, it's getting dark. Maybe we should set up camp for the night," Brock said, glancing at the small, orange sliver that remained of the sun.

"But we have to find Clare! I know she's nearby! I can feel it!" Ash said stubbornly.

"Ash. I know you're worried about Clare; we all are. But if you collapse from exhaustion you won't be able to search for her for several days," Misty reasoned, hoping that her point would be what convinced Ash to rest. He'd only gotten more and more determined as the months went by to find that poor girl. What could Team Void possibly have wanted with an innocent girl like Clare?

Ash stopped walking, the dark forest rustling from a small breeze.

"It's just … I'm worried about what they might be doing to her," Ash said, hanging his head.

Misty placed her hand on Ash's shoulder. "We all are. We _will_ find her, Ash, but you need to rest for the time being."

ash turned towards her. Misty could see in his eyes that he blamed himself for Clare's predicament.

"Oh, Ash," she murmured. Misty gently kissed Ash before holding him close. "It's not your fault. You did everything you could to stop Team Void. We'll find her, I know we will. Clare will be perfectly find, you'll see."

Ash buried his head in Misty's shoulder, finally releasing the emotions he'd been holding back for the past few months in the form of tears.

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"What the hell was that?" Jessie groaned, rubbing her back.

"That was one powerful Pokemon," Meowth answered the rhetorical question.

"So I guess this means we'll have to track it down. A rare _and_ powerful Pokemon? Just imagine all the riches the Boss would bestow upon us!" James said gleefully, his eyes glazed over with greed.

"Yeah! And I would be top cat! I can just imagine it! His precious Persian will be second rate to this mighty Meowth!"

"Guys, it's getting dark. Maybe we should set up camp for the night," said a voice all three recognised well.

The trio peered through the leaves of the forest, quickly spotting Misty with her hand on Ash's shoulder, Brock standing a little ways off. The coveted prize, Pikachu, was standing at its trainer's feet, gazing up in what the assumed was concern.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't the twerps and Pikachu. Do you think we'll be able to swipe Pikachu _and_ our Mystery Pokemon? I mean, that other one can't be too far away," James said thoughtfully.

"I'm sure we could come up with something," Meowth said, a sly grin crossing his furry face.

φφφ

The sun finally released its grip on the land, descending below the horizon, allowing the sky to change from a dark orange to a purplish blue. A few stars could be seen scattered across the sky, and more were quickly joining their comrades. The forest curved in an almost crescent-like shape before the approaching vehicle.

Mayal surveyed the dark forest, distaste etched on her cold features. "So, here we are. Where do you s'pose we should start looking?" She pulled the car over in the shade of the darkening forest.

"I don't know," Hoag groaned, "I doubt we'll find her with night so close. Let's just stay here the night and search for her in the morning." He stepped out of the car, slamming the door before leaning against it, his head in his hands.

Mayal gave him a look of pure outrage over the top of the car, her dark eyes glinting dangerously. "_Here_? In case you hadn't noticed, Hoag, there aren't any inns to stay at. They're all in _Saffron City_."

Hoag pinched the bridge of his nose, wishing Bode had partnered him with anyone but Mayal. "That's the point. You _know_ how quickly Bode loses his temper. If he decides that we aren't doing a good enough job, the first place he'll look is the nearest town. I'd rather not join the dead just yet."

Mayal groaned, plonking herself down on the ground. She leaned against a tree, arms folded across her chest. "I guess that means we have to sleep _out_side tonight."

Hoag marvelled at how immature this woman could be. "Yes, Mayal," he spat, "Unless you have a death wish, of course."

Mayal narrowed her eyes, before glaring into the forest. "Stupid girl. Why did she have to run off? Why is Bode so persistent with this experiment?"

Hoag ignored her mutterings and wandered over to the edge of the forest. As he got closer, he noticed the faint sound of voices. Hoag hesitated, before cautiously entering the forest. He didn't have to go far before he found the source.

Peering through the foliage, Hoag saw three people sitting around a camp fire. Evidently, the trees he hid within was nothing more than a line, as he couldn't see any more trees beyond them. There was a boy with spiky, black hair under a baseball cap, and a Pikachu lay in his lap, a young man also with spiky, black hair, but he had tanned skin. There was also a girl with red hair tied in a lop-sided ponytail. Something about the three was very familiar to Hoag.

"What are you doing?"

Hoag violently started at the quiet voice, before realising it was just Mayal.

"Shh. Do those three look familiar to you?"

Mayal peered around him, curious to see what was so fascinating to the man.

"Hmm? Oh, yes. Weren't they the ones who were with that girl before we snatched her?"

Hoag glanced between Mayal and the people around the fire before walking out from the protection of the forest.

"What are you doing?" Mayal hissed, her tone completely different from before. Hoag didn't respond.

Ash, Brock and Misty all looked up at the two newcomers before scrambling to their feet, recognising their uniforms if nothing else.

"What do you two want," Ash asked poisonously.

"Just came to chat," Hoag said casually.

"Where's Clare? You better not have hurt her!" Misty shouted.

Mayal stretched, unimpressed with the red-head's fury. "Clare? Was that the girl's name?"

"Where is she?" Brock pulled out a Pokeball, readying himself for a battle.

Hoag raised an eyebrow. "Put that away, you won't be needing it. Like I said, we just want to talk to you. Just one, quick question, and we'll be on our way."

"Like we'd help you!" Ash started towards the pair, dark fury gleaming in his eyes.

"Pika!" Pikachu's fury as clear as its trainer's.

"Have you seen a strange Pokemon about?" Hoag continued, as if there'd been no interruption. "About the same height as me, some-what humanoid, great big wings, covered in black feathers?"

Mayal threw Hoag a look, clearly startled he'd so casually given away what they were looking for. "What are you doing?" she seemed rather fond of repeating herself tonight.

"No, we haven't! And we wouldn't tell you if we had! Now where. Is. Clare!" Misty reached for her own Pokeball, getting fed up with the two villains.

"Don't know," Mayal easily lied.

"And we wouldn't tell you if we did," Hoag said, a hint of dark humour crossing his features.

"Oh, that is it! Starmie, use Rapid Spin!" Misty threw her Pokeball, a violet and gold multi-point star-shaped Pokemon burst from the Pokeball. Instantly, it span, heading towards Team Void.

"Luxray, Discharge," Hoag casually threw his own Pokeball, a blue and black lion-like Pokemon appeared, surrounding itself in bright blue electricity before releasing it at the Starmie.

Starmie was unable to avoid the attack and was thrown back towards Misty. She rushed towards her injured Pokemon, murmuring soothingly to it, before returning it to its Pokeball.

Suddenly, a black, bird-like Pokemon tumbled out of the forest. It matched Hoag's description from earlier, only he'd left out the strange, silvery-white patterns that traced its body. The Pokemon scrambled to its feet, panting heavily, its dark eyes quickly taking in Team Void and Ash and his friends.

Before anyone else could move, an enormous machine erupted from the same spot the Pokemon had been, scattering trees and dirt everywhere. The top part of the giant machine was peach coloured, ending in a frill. Below the frill was a pair of round, green feet. There was a clear screen sitting where its eyes were supposed to be and a large, red 'R' below the screen. Behind the screen, everyone could see a woman with long, red hair, a man with short, lilac hair, and a Meowth.

"Prepare for trouble," said Jessie.

"And make it double," followed James.

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><p><strong>And that's the end of chapter 3! Again, sorry for the long wait. Please don't forget to R&amp;R! Also, before anyone asks, I'm going with Team Rocket's origin motto because I don't like the other one. And I can't remember how it goes (I'm also too lazy to look it up).<strong>


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